Gunmen on Tuesday attacked a United States convoy in Anambra State, south-east Nigeria, killing four people, CNN reports.
The attackers murdered two police operatives and two staff of the US consulate and set their bodies and their vehicles ablaze.
Two staff of the United States Consulate in Nigeria were murdered and their bodies set ablaze by the unknown gunmen in Ogbaru Local Government.
The US consulate staff were in the area for humanitarian work when they were attacked by the assailants who also killed two PMF (Police Mobile Force) operatives.
The spokesperson of the state police command, DSP Tochukwu Ikenga, confirmed this in a statement released.
The statement reads: ‘The Joint Security Forces have embarked on a rescue/recovery operation in Ogbaru LGA, following an attack on a convoy of staff of U S Consulate today 16/5/2023 by 3:30 pm along Atani, Osamale road.
‘The hoodlums murdered two of the PMF operatives, and two staff of the Consulate, and set their bodies ablaze and their vehicles.
‘Also, the arsonist/murderers on sighting the responding joint security forces abducted two Police operatives, the driver of the second vehicle and took to their heels. No U S citizen was in the convoy.’
The Command, while reacting to the situation regrets that a convoy of such or any related will enter the state without recourse to the police in the area or any security agency.
The command assured that the battle against the insurgents in the State is focused and it will remain sustained until such a time security stability is fully restored.
According to CNN, Ikenga Tochukwu, a deputy superintendent of police, said that when the assailants saw security forces, they made away with two police operatives and a driver of the second vehicle in the convoy.